Thanks, Peggy. Like other raptors, hawks are beautiful creatures.
However, more than once, I've watched a hawk tear a song bird apart and eat almost every single part of it - minus the feathers. That's their ugly side. From years of photography, I know very well how violent Nature can be. For the hawk, it's survival. Nevertheless, I still find the brutal killing of another animal (even a bird) very sad. I'm guessing that a mature hawk probably wouldn't mess with a normal sized Chihuahua if it has plenty of song birds and rodents to catch & eat. On the other hand, juvenile hawks do stupid things. I watched one almost drown after it tried to take down a goose but hit the water hard instead. Juveniles are big enough to do serious damage, but not experienced enough to know that they need to be somewhat selective in choosing a dinner target. I wasn't there when my friend's Chi was killed by the hawk. But she tells the story to everyone to remind them to never let their guard down even for a second. Her Chi was by far the smallest at the gathering that day, and it had wandered maybe 8-10 feet away from the other Chis. It was only about 15 feet from the people. Our back deck is 40 feet long. The dogs and I spend a lot of time out on it. But not if I see a hawk in the sky. Being a wildlife photographer, I spot them almost instantly. I thought almost all places had hawks. You're lucky that you live somewhere that you're relatively hawk safe. In Summer, we see them almost every day. What bothers me is that during the past couple of years they seem to be low in the trees of suburban neighborhoods. It used to be more wild open, natural areas. Now, no where seems to be "safe". Liz Liz that is an awesome collection of beautiful photos! That's very sad about your friends little Chi. I would be pretty nervous to be out with my Gigi if I knew that I lived in an area where Hawks lived too, so I don't blame you for going into a panic mode. But all these stories are making me look up at the sky a little more often, especially when I go to the dog parks, just to be safe. Peggy ------------------------------------ We are now on Facebook! Join today! http://www.facebook.com/groups/chihuahuasclubYahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Chihuahuas/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Chihuahuas/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: [email protected] [email protected] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [email protected] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
